Myth's Legend: Norrix

by Ysobella Black

  “She’s like a beautiful sleeping princess,” Fable whispered. “Did she eat a poisoned apple?”

  “No, but Musette’s magic was poisoned.” Selene brushed some hair from Musette’s face. “We’re trying to make her magic better so she can wake up.”

  Fable squished herself in next to Selene. Ember and Viktoria sat in chairs close by. Myth sat next to Fable. A sudden rush of strygoi magic took her breath away, and she put a hand to her chest.

  Selene placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “The magic becomes stronger the more of us who share it, especially when we’re gathered in one place. It can be a bit overwhelming at first.”

  “Hello new strygoi and little strygoi. I'm Idris.” He sat on the couch across from them. “I was coming to put Musette to bed.”

  “Doesn’t he know he has to kiss the sleeping princess to wake her up?” Fable whispered. “All the stories say that.”

  “I wish it was that easy,” Idris said. “I would have woken her up a long time ago.”

  Fable cleared her throat. “Once upon a time Auntie Musette will wake up when Uncle Idris kisses her.”

  Selene smiled. “Well, go on. Kiss your Dragă.”

  Idris knelt in front of Selene and pressed his lips to Musette’s forehead.

  “That’s not how a prince kisses a princess to wake her up.” Fable informed him.

  Myth flushed, but had to agree with Fable’s assessment. That unenthusiastic, platonic gesture from Idris was definitely not how Norrix had showed her how princes kissed their princesses, much less how vampires kissed their Dragăs.

  Idris sighed. “Now I’m getting kissing advice from a child.” He pressed his lips to Musette’s.

  When Musette didn’t stir, Fable frowned. “You’re not kissing her right. Do you know how to kiss her?”

  Ember snorted. “Yeah, Idris. Maybe you’re a bad kisser, and that’s why you can’t wake your princess up. Poor Musette. Stuck with awful kisses forever.”

  A laugh Myth recognized echoed around the room.

  Idris pushed himself up from the floor and sat on the other sofa. “I am not a bad kisser.”

  “Don’t sulk, Idris. Here is your Dragă.” Selene’s tower changed, the room expanding to hold an overlay of a second dining room where a second Musette sat at a table. Somehow Selene could bring Ember’s Dragă space into hers. What else could strygoi magic do?

  Musette stood, put her ice cream in the freezer and joined them, flitting from person to person for hugs. She stopped in front of Fable. “Are you a hugger?”

  Fable nodded and accepted a hug.

  The vivacious blonde moved on to Myth. “You weren’t a hugger before. How about now?”

  Myth opened her arms. “After meeting so many of my family members, I am. They’re all huggers.”

  Musette sat next to Idris. “Don't worry, vampire-mine.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. “We can practice kissing until you get it right.”

  “I am not a bad kisser,” he grumbled. But the twinkle in his eyes said he wouldn’t mind practicing.

  It was easy to see why Norrix thought this would be the best place to learn about being a strygoi. Hopefully she could learn about her other magics too. They buffeted against her skin. So far, they weren’t at critical overload levels, but the energies were growing.

  Viktoria crossed her legs and sat back in her chair. “Ember was going to tell us how she and Stryx came back from Ashana. Jael and I flew from Pohjola on a swan through the soul paths. We’re seeing who had the most unusual transportation.”

  “I’ll be having words with Norrix.” Ember pointed a finger at Myth. “We almost died! I traded the gifts Memory and Dream gave me to use in Ashana to Baba Yaga in exchange for a ride. When Norrix parked the plane, there were all these chariots, a UFO, a sleigh —”

  “A sleigh!" Musette sat up straight, eyes fixed on her twin.

  Ember held up a palm towards Musette. “Just a sleigh. I did not see a jolly, fat man in a red suit.”

  “We did. And the reindeer,” Myth said. “One of them had fallen in love with a fire breathing horse and didn't want to leave.”

  Musette laughed, leapt to her feet, and did a shimmying dance in front of Ember. “I knew Santa was real!”

  Fable giggled. Myth decided at that moment that Musette’s laugh was contagious, but Fable’s laughter was the sound she craved to hear.

  Ember groaned. “How many times are you going to throw that in my face?” She leaned to one side to see around her gyrating twin. “Anyway, there were also a throne and some broomsticks, but it turns out Baba Yaga flies around in a mortar and uses the pestle to steer it. Norrix might have mentioned that.”

  “Baba Yaga’s dreams can be prophetic.” Selene said. “I would have liked to see her again, but perhaps the dream and memory settled her enough for her powers to assert themselves. If she dreamed about her ballerina, she might well know where to find her now.”

  “Koschei seemed very protective of her.” Ember clutched at her head dramatically. “And man, can he drink a lot of vodka. All that spinning did not help the hangover I still have from doing shots with him.”

  Idris smiled. “Brothers are like that.”

  Fable yawned, reminding Myth she was tired too. The last couple days had been crazy. “I should put Fable to bed.”

  Selene waved a hand, and a door opened on the wall of her tower room. “Norrix can show you a place you can get some sleep. He’s waiting for you at the bottom of the stairs.”

  “Make sure you are well rested, darlings.” Viktoria stood to walk out with them. “We’ll have to go shopping tomorrow to buy a thing or two for you.”

  As Fable hugged Selene, the woman whispered something to her daughter. Fable looked startled, then grinned. “Are you sure?”

  Selene nodded.

  Myth leaned down to pick Fable up. Selene touched her arm and Myth paused.

  You are alone, do you understand? Selene spoke in her mind.

  That didn’t seem right. She was with the other strygoi. She had Norrix and Fable. Her hand flew to her abdomen.

  Selene nodded.

  Myth felt a weight she hadn’t realized she was carrying lift free.

  CHAPTER SIXTY ONE

  NORRIX

  NORRIX COULD DO NOTHING as Ember and Viktoria vanished with his girls in a silver flash, leaving him with Stryx and Jael in front of the house. Only happiness and amazement came through his bond with Myth, easing his anxiety. “Four strygoi in less than a week after a thousand years of none. I never thought I’d Witness that.”

  “When I went to see Drake, he mentioned strygoi don't like to be alone.” The Assassin trained his eyes on Selene’s tower. “We should start a betting pool for the next vampire to fall.”

  “I bet on Alaric.” If anyone deserved to be caused some lunacy rather than causing it himself, it was the Fae. “I can’t wait to see him tamed.”

  Stryx raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know if I’d wish for that. I’m not sure which way the lunacy would go in that relationship. We could end up with the craziness spreading exponentially.”

  That thought was horrifying.

  “The Scorpion Mage? Is he contained?” In spite of his new emotions, Stryx was still all business.

  Norrix shook his head. “Itzpapalotl tore his heart out, ate it, and ripped off his leg to use for a club. She was not in a mood to negotiate about any of it.”

  “Fuck.” Stryx clenched his fists, but his lips twitched in a smile at the same time.

  It was difficult to tell if he was pissed the mage had escaped or impressed with Itzpapalotl’s work. Probably both. “She and her demon women took care of Iqiohr’s men. There’s a pack of ahuizotl in Aztlan, but even with their help I'm not sure I could have gotten Myth and Fable out of there without Itzpapalotl and her Tzitzimimeh. So, yes, the Scorpion Mage magic is out there somewhere looking for a new body, but Myth and Fable will always be my priority.”

  Jael nodded. “Contain the mage or s
ave your Dragă and daughter? Any of us would have done the same thing. Of all of us, you deserved to meet your Dragă. ”

  “Yes.” Stryx put a hand on Norrix’s shoulder. “I am happy for you. I didn’t mean to imply blame.”

  Norrix shook his head. “It’s odd to hear you say you’re happy, but I like hearing it.”

  Stryx smirked. “Emotions are exhausting.”

  “We have the Eel Mage and the Spider Mage in the dungeon,” Jael said. “That’s no small thing. Their magic won’t be going anywhere. I’ll keep breaking their spells and getting what information I can from them.”

  “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep Ember from” — Stryx used air quotes he must have learned from his Dragă — “asking him herself if we can’t get her an answer about Musette.”

  “My swords would be happy to ask the two mages in the dungeon if they have any ideas where to look for their brother. I don’t think I’ve heard of the Scorpion Mage ever leaving Aztlan.” Jael spun his swords in his hands as he detoured around the gouges the dragon had left in the driveway.

  “I don’t think he has before.” Norrix followed Jael toward the house. Dragons here in Port Storm. Never thought he’d Witness that. “The Scorpion Mage had reason to leave. His power was always strongest there, if not the mage magic, then the blood magic. And we found his version of a dungeon. Hundreds of obsidian mirrors containing his prisoners. No way would he have voluntarily relocated without those.”

  The silver medallions in Jael’s black swords gleamed, giving Norrix a chill. The Assassin’s swords were untrustworthy before, now they seemed worse. “New blades?”

  “A gift from Viktoria.” Jael held out the black and silver blades for a brief inspection. “I should pack.”

  Where was the Assassin going? He’d appointed himself bodyguard for Stryx and his twin a thousand years ago and was never far from his side. “Going somewhere?” Maybe Jael thought the other brother needed a bodyguard more. Sabien was always off on some adventure.

  Stryx chuckled.

  That was still weird.

  A thought struck Norrix. “Back to where your phone is out of the service area?”

  Spinning his swords and sheathing them on his back, Jael shook his head. “You must have tried to call me when I was in —” The Assassin stopped when Stryx elbowed him. They gave Norrix apologetic looks.

  Norrix crossed his arms and grinned. “Say it.” He wouldn’t get lost in his memories anymore.

  Accepting the challenge, Jael said, “I was in Pohjola.”

  Worried he’d been overconfident, Norrix relaxed when he was able to decide what he wanted to remember. “I should have guessed that. You look to be in one piece. Louhi must have liked you. Vampires tend not to do well there, never mind anyone leaving with one of her daughters. I can think of hundreds of men that didn’t work out for.”

  Stryx and Jael gaped.

  Resisting the urge to puff up his chest, Norrix couldn't help showing off after being viewed as a liability for so long. “I can list them alphabetically or chronologically.”

  Jael recovered first. “Your memories don’t overwhelm you anymore?”

  “Nope. Myth made me a legend.”

  Stryx grinned, and Norrix knew he’d seen that delighted expression exactly twice, counting this occurrence, in the last thousand years. “That will be a huge advantage for us.” So typical of their Esag, thinking strategy all the time.

  The Assassin opened the front door. “I’m only going to Viktoria’s house. She refuses to live somewhere smaller than her closet. Since she can bring us back here in a second with her strygoi magic, we won’t be far away.”

  They filed into the compound, Norrix closing the door after them. “We have some pretty big rooms here.”

  “Yeah, well, you haven’t seen the size of her closet.”

  Norrix laughed. It felt strange but good to be speaking of closets and happiness, like they were humans who had no larger concerns. “I need to get a room set up for Myth and Fable. Fable was almost murdered and Myth had a busy day turning strygoi and bringing hundreds of Tzitzimimeh into the world. They’ll be tired.”

  SATURDAY,

  DECEMBER 14

  CHAPTER SIXTY TWO

  FABLE

  FABLE HAD NEVER SEEN so many people being nice to each other. Men and women walked together, held hands, kissed each other. Everyone wore bright clothes and smiled. The only person with white hair was old. Nobody had white eyes.

  And so many shops. This mall, bigger than the whole palace in Aztlan, was like a maze, with all the levels full of places to buy things Fable never knew existed. It was loud. Different music played from the shops and speakers in the walls. People talked on their phones. Kids laughed and played.

  They'd already gone to a supermarket, where there were shelves and shelves of food. All kinds of food that anyone could buy. Everyone put things in big carts, waited in line to put plastic cards in machines, and left with whatever they wanted.

  At this mall, Auntie Viktoria thought they needed to go in every single store. She traded the same plastic card for whatever she wanted. She called it shopping and seemed to think it was fun.

  Fable hoped Auntie Viktoria didn’t want her to try on more clothes. Fable had so many now, and belts, shoes, bracelets, hats, scarves, and socks. She liked the really tall socks. The shadow snake slithered into one, turned around somehow, and now wore a striped sock from her tail to her eyes and curled around Fable's neck like a scarf. Auntie Viktoria had made piles of stuff so big Fable couldn't see over them. Then Auntie Viktoria had bought mirrors. Big ones for walls, and little ones for purses.

  “Why do we need so many mirrors?” Nantli asked. “We just need one.”

  After seeing people trapped in them, Fable didn't want any mirrors in her room. A big room! Not a cell. She would need more rooms to put all these things Aunties Viktoria and Ember thought Fable needed. The vampires had a big palace. Maybe they wouldn't mind.

  Auntie Viktoria waved a finger back and forth at Nantli. “No. You need at least two so you can practice walking away.”

  “From what?”

  “From Norrix, darling.”

  Nantli frowned. “Why would I want to do that?”

  Auntie Viktoria leaned close. “He's a vampire, darling. It's in their nature to chase, and nothing will want to make him come after you more than looking confident as you walk away — without looking back. Don't make it easy for him. It's more fun when he catches you that way.”

  That was silly, and it sounded boring. Fable's shadow animals chased her when she ran, and she didn't have to practice anything. That was good. No mirrors for her.

  Auntie Viktoria led her mother into a store full of things with lace and shiny material. It seemed like broken clothes. They wouldn't cover anything, but Auntie Viktoria was wearing a dress missing the back, the front over her tummy, and part of the skirt, so maybe she liked broken clothes.

  Auntie Ember took Fable to eat ice cream, churros, and candy. In the middle of the ground floor, next to this food court, families waited to talk to Santa. Only it wasn't the Santa she met in Ashana yesterday. If Fable was right, this one was a woman wearing pretend hair on her face, but no one seemed to care.

  Port Storm was a strange place.

  And Auntie Ember bought a balloon! Fable liked the shiny balloon, but the dragon made it pop with her tail. When Fable laughed, Auntie Ember bought all the balloons so the dragon could pop them.

  When Nantli and Auntie Viktoria found them, they went to more stores and bought beds, sheets, rugs, desks, lamps, toys, pillows, bubble bath, laptops, art supplies, blankets, chairs, couches, curtains, perfumes, movies and jewelry. Fable hadn't known there was so much stuff to buy and she wanted to go home.

  Auntie Ember dug her cell phone out of her cargo pants pocket and checked her new message. Aunties Ember and Viktoria had bought Fable one of those too, but she didn't know how to use it. They said Fable could talk to them any time she wante
d to, but Soră already helped her do that. Fable gave her phone to the crow. He carried it in one of his feet and pushed buttons with his beak to make it beep.

  “We have one more stop to make before we can go home.” Auntie Ember smiled.

  Fable and Nantli groaned. Even her shadow animals were tired and they didn’t even have to walk. Aunties Ember and Viktoria had made Fable and her mom walk all over so many stores. Everything but a bookstore. This new place had so much stuff, but no stores for books. Aztlan had books, even if she wasn’t allowed to touch them. Auntie Ember said movies were like books, but Fable didn’t believe her.

  “We've filled four enormous trucks full of stuff. What else could we possibly need?” Nantli asked.

  “Darlings, we need to build up your stamina.”

  Auntie Ember swept Fable up to carry her. “Come on. I’ll carry you to the car. We have to drive to the next place.”

  “Is it far?”

  “No, not too far.”

  When they got out of the car a few minutes later, Fable’s heart leapt. This looked like a place that sold books! There were lots of shelves inside the store.

  “Wait here a second.” Auntie Ember left them and went to the back.

  The space was huge, but there was nothing to trade plastic cards for. Empty floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the walls, and shorter bookcases stood in rows across the floor. There was a place upstairs with some chairs, and a downstairs at the back led to a place with tables, more chairs and some glass cases, the same as the ones that sold treats at the mall.

  Disappointment made Fable feel even more tired. She sagged to the floor, let her shadow animals run free, and tried not to cry. Her Aunties wanted to make sure she had everything, she didn’t want to make them feel bad. There were stories in her head, no matter what. Even when the Scorpion Mage took her voice, he couldn’t take her stories away. But she thought in a place where everyone was free, there would be books and stories.